Dead body management

EMTs need to be able to manage dead bodies in a way that is dignified, culturally appropriate, safe and according to public health practices.

EMTs must be able to respectfully, temporarily store dead bodies aiming to preserve and facilitate identification of the deceased and help families discover the fate of their loved ones. This applies to patients who died during outpatient or inpatient care and those who are brought to the facility by family members. International EMTs should liaise and coordinate with the ministry of health and other relevant local authorities to be familiar with and comply with national policies, regulations and procedures for adequate dead body management. EMT facilities are not expected to be able to support forensic pathology, disaster victim identification or mass fatality storage.109

1. Determine a dead body management procedure which should include a tagging and identification process (including photography) of any dead body or body part within the morgue.
2. An area (tent) should be used as a temporary morgue before releasing dead bodies to relatives or their communities for disposal according to local custom and practice. This is not applicable to Type 1 Mobile.

   Type 1 fixed
   Ensure the ability to store two dead bodies in a dedicated tent.

   Type 2 and 3
   Ensure the ability to store at least four bodies in a dedicated tent in a temperature-controlled environment.

3. Report all deaths daily to the EMTCC as essential data items within the Minimum Data Set (MDS) or equivalent.
4. When handling any dead body or body parts an adequate level of PPE is required.

1. Consider the ability to store a large number of dead bodies based on the context and event and ensure a sufficient supply of body bags.
2. Families should be able to visit the morgue and religions and cultural aspects should be considered.
3. Whenever possible provide a simple visual area separated from the morgue for identification and mourning before the body is removed.